@article{smith_weaver_ducoste_iii_2024, title={Microbial community assembly in engineered bioreactors}, volume={255}, ISSN={["1879-2448"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2024.121495}, DOI={10.1016/j.watres.2024.121495}, abstractNote={Microbial community assembly (MCA) processes that shape microbial communities in environments are being used to analyze engineered bioreactors such as activated sludge systems and anaerobic digesters. The goal of studying MCA is to be able to understand and predict the effect of design and operation procedures on bioreactor microbial composition and function. Ultimately, this can lead to bioreactors that are more efficient, resilient, or resistant to perturbations. This review summarizes the ecological theories underpinning MCA, evaluates MCA analysis methods, analyzes how these MCA-based methods are applied to engineered bioreactors, and extracts lessons from case studies. Furthermore, we suggest future directions in MCA research in engineered bioreactor systems. The review aims to provide insights and guidance to the growing number of environmental engineers who wish to design and understand bioreactors through the lens of MCA.}, journal={WATER RESEARCH}, author={Smith, Savanna K. and Weaver, Joseph E. and Ducoste, Joel J. and Iii, Francis L. de los Reyes}, year={2024}, month={May} }
 @article{lutz_hlavacek_gupta_smith_razavi_shirazi_2023, title={High-performing enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) utilizing controlled communities of bacteria in novel biocatalyst composites}, volume={23}, ISSN={["2589-014X"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.biteb.2023.101556}, abstractNote={Phosphorus pollution is a serious problem for aquatic environments globally. To improve water quality, some regions are implementing stricter discharge limits for phosphorus. Many existing biological technologies cannot reliably achieve new targets due to the complex factors influencing the bacteria responsible for enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR). This study demonstrated robust phosphorus removal from wastewater via EBPR using controlled bacterial communities in hydrophilic polymeric composites, known as MicroNiche Engineered biocatalysts, in bench and pilot-scale sequencing batch reactors, achieving an effluent target of 0.1 mg-P/L as orthophosphate without sludge handling. Metagenomic analysis tracked the taxonomic groups known to contain polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs), such as Rhodocyclaceae and Comamonadaceae families and the Tetrasphaera, Dechloromonas, and Thauera genera, within the microbial communities contained in the biocatalysts. Findings revealed community compositions differed slightly depending on the starting and operating parameters of the reactor but that PAOs were retained across operational changes.}, journal={BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY REPORTS}, author={Lutz, Allyson C. and Hlavacek, Nikolaus C. and Gupta, Vedansh and Smith, Savanna K. and Razavi, Ameen and Shirazi, Fatemeh}, year={2023}, month={Sep} }